Montag & Caldwell LLC Sells 25,097 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Montag & Caldwell LLC lowered its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 37.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,657 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 25,097 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies comprises approximately 1.6% of Montag & Caldwell LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Montag & Caldwell LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $9,271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 71,537 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $15,920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,965 shares during the period. Capital Investment Counsel Inc increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 147.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc now owns 99,976 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $22,250,000 after buying an additional 59,512 shares during the period. Monumental Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Monumental Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,631 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,253,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Kapstone Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Kapstone Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,361 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intellectus Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 2,224 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Zelman & Associates reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE LOW traded up $0.97 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $230.84. 431,421 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,481,393. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $239.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $219.94. The stock has a market cap of $132.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.47, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.43%.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

Lowe's Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States. The company offers a line of products for construction, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and decorating. It also provides home improvement products, such as appliances, seasonal and outdoor living, lawn and garden, lumber, kitchens and bath, tools, paint, millwork, hardware, flooring, rough plumbing, building materials, décor, and electrical.